Focus RS Review

We test Ford's impressive performance Focus - the 2009 Focus RS

Part 2 of our Focus RS Review / Test

Part 2 of our road test / review of the 2009 Focus RS

The suspension if firm but not crashy-bashy. You could poodle to work in the rush hour every day and not need a season ticket to the Chiropractors. It feels firm when you’re tearing up the country roads, but reassuringly firm – not back-breaking firm. Even when pushing very hard there’s still a suppleness in the suspension and no huge crashes as you hit a bad bit of road.

And in these circumstances the RevoKnuckle and the clever diff work their stuff well. Yes, you can feel the torque-steer but it doesn’t wrest control from your hands. You get a small pull and a slight deadening of sensation if you give it the beans from the off, and feeding in the power as you hit the apex just makes the wheel go slightly dead for a fraction of a second. But it is a great achievement.

The RS is full of add-on bits. Definitely a notch or two up from the Halford’s special boy racers that adorn the Essex roads, but very boy-racer none the less. The colour schemes don’t help much either. You can have the Kermit Green we had or white or bright blue. None are what you would call subtle. In some ways that’s the joy of the RS. But in others it’s the Achilles heel. Who is going to buy this car? How many people are there in the world who want to drive a performance Focus and shout to the world about it?

You’re wrong, I hear you say. There are thousand of people who would love a Focus RS. And you’re right. But how many of them can afford it in the first place, and how many of those could afford the insurance (Group 19) even if they could afford the car? The majority of Focus RS wannabees are probably under 25. And therein lies the problem. The RS is just too expensive to buy and run for the demographic that loves the RS the most.

“ You can have the Kermit Green we had or white or bright blue. None are what you would call subtle. In some ways that’s the joy of the RS. But in others it’s the Achilles heel.”

But there is an answer. Take off some of the more extreme stuff, like the massive rear wing. Dial in some subtle colour options. Take off the badges. And then it becomes a hugely desirable everyday car for those who can afford it. It would be reliable, relatively economical and oodles of fun. And no one would know what you’re driving until things got frisky. Ford could mop up a fair chunk of enthusiastic older drivers who don’t want to shout their car’s credentials from the rooftops. The sort of buyer who buys a very quick Audi for a daily drive. Speak softly but carry a big stick. Just a thought.

But despite my reservations about the clothing you can’t get away from the fact that the Focus RS is an incredible achievement. To put 300 horses through the front wheels and make it driveable is cause enough for celebration. To make it handle as sublimely and responsively as Ford has is nothing short of remarkable.